Where Do I Begin?
by roses-sunflowers
Summary: The first time Rose sees the part-human Doctor wearing glasses, she stops breathing.


The first time Rose sees the part-human Doctor wearing glasses, she stops breathing.

He's sprawled awkwardly over an armchair, his long legs dangling over the side and his back curled up tightly as he rests a well-worn copy of Mary Poppins on his lap. As she stands frozen in the doorway, he wrinkles his nose at something on the page, causing his glasses to slip. He frowns, pushing them back up and sighing quietly, and Rose feels a sharp breath finally escape her at how _familiar_ it seems. He looks up at the sound, smiling widely when he sees her.

"Rose!" he says excitedly, stumbling slightly as he unfolds himself and stands up from the chair. "They have Mary Poppins in this world. It's brilliant! Well, of course it is, but I just wasn't sure that they'd have it here, with it being a parallel universe you can never tell what'll stay the same, given the different time streams and, well, the evident lack of _me_, but they do and—" he stops abruptly, staring at her. "Are you alright?" he says, leaning toward her with a slight frown.

She steps backwards, trying to ignore the flash of hurt that passes over his face as she does so. "I—" she shakes her head and bites her lip. She takes another step backwards. "Um. I'm fine. Sorry to have bothered you." She flees up the stairs.

She hears him running up behind her and heads for her bedroom, running in and slamming the door.

"Rose!" he shouts, banging on the door. "Rose, what's wrong?"

"I—" she chokes, unable to think of an excuse. She feels tears begin to form and swipes at her eyes, sniffling slightly.

"Rose?" he says softly. "Will you let me in, please?"

She cracks the door slightly and quickly walks to the bed, sitting with her back to him as he enters.

"Nothing—" her voice breaks. She clears her throat, her cheeks flushing as her eyes fill up. "Nothing's wrong."

He sits lightly on the bed, gently placing a hand on the small of her back. "Is there—" he hesitates. "Rose, let me help you. Whatever it is that's wrong, I can help. I'm the Doctor."

She turns to him, suddenly furious. "No, you're not!" she yells, throwing his hand off of her. "You sit there like you know everything with your stupid long legs and great hair and those _damn_ glasses and think you _are_ the Doctor just because you bloody look like him and can finish the sentences he won't—" she shudders, tears dripping down her cheeks. She rubs them away angrily, refusing to look at him.

"Rose," he whispers, his hands clenching by his sides. "I—" he swallows heavily. "I _am_ the Doctor, Rose. I'm just not _him_." He sighs quietly. "I'll take the glasses off, if that's what you want."

"That's not the point," Rose says, still looking away.

"No, it's not," he mumbles. "But the glasses are what made you remember."

Rose wipes her face on her sleeve, sniffling.

"I just—" he stops. "Tell me what he would have done, Rose. I don't know what I'm supposed to do to make this right, so tell me what—" he takes a quick breath, "what the Doctor would have done."

She chokes on a laugh, picturing the Doctor's face. "Oh, he wouldn't have the first clue," she whispers.

"I—what?"

She laughs wetly. "The Doctor never quite knew what to do when I was crying."

The Doctor's duplicate huffs. "Well, that's rubbish."

Rose starts giggling at his aggravated expression and can't stop, bursting into peals of laughter.

He stares at her, confused. "What?"

"Your face," she grins.

"Oi! What's so funny about my face?"

Somehow that makes it even funnier and she laughs so hard that her stomach starts to hurt and she has to grip his arm for support.

He sniffs. "I have a wonderful face, Rose Tyler."

"That you do," she smiles, looking up at him. "With the glasses, too—even though you don't really need them."

He gasps. "Who told you?"

"Nobody told me. I saw you reading and walking around without glasses all the time and you seemed perfectly fine."

He huffs. "Well, they make me look more clever."

She smiles. "I suppose you can keep them, then."

"Really?" he asks, his eyes brightening.

"Really," she says softly. "You are the Doctor, after all." He smiles proudly and she smirks. "It was obvious from the fact that you didn't know what to do when I cried and how offended you got when I brought it up."

"Oi!"


End file.
